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I've used Valerian root and it seemed to work okay for sleep. It took, however, awhile to kick in. Melatonin is another great sleep aid that I've had success with. I use a sub-lingual liquid, as the tablets I first tried really upset my stomach. The only caveats are sluggishness the next day if you take too much and it tends to induce very strange dreams.

Froggie wrote:I've used Valerian root and it seemed to work okay for sleep. It took, however, awhile to kick in. Melatonin is another great sleep aid that I've had success with. I use a sub-lingual liquid, as the tablets I first tried really upset my stomach. The only caveats are sluggishness the next day if you take too much and it tends to induce very strange dreams.

The interaction between the brain and the immune system is essential for theadaptive response of an organism against environmental challenges.

In this context, the pineal neurohormone melatonin (MEL) plays an important role.T-helper cells express G-protein coupled cell membrane MEL receptors and,perhaps, MEL nuclear receptors. Activation of MEL receptors enhances the releaseof T-helper cell Type 1 (Th1) cytokines, such as gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN)and IL-2, as well as of novel opioid cytokines. MEL has been reported also toenhance the production of IL-1, IL-6 and IL-12 in human monocytes. Thesemediators may counteract stress-induced immunodepression and other secondaryimmunodeficiencies and protect mice against lethal viral encephalitis, bacterialdiseases and septic shock. Therefore, MEL has interesting immunotherapeuticpotential in both viral and bacterial infections. MEL may also influencehaemopoiesis either by stimulating haemopoietic cytokines, including opioids, orby directly affecting specific progenitor cells such as pre-B cells, monocytesand NK cells. MEL may thus be used to stimulate the immune response during viraland bacterial infections as well as to strengthen the immune reactivity as aprophylactic procedure. In both mice and cancer patients, the haemopoieticeffect of MEL may diminish the toxicity associated with common chemotherapeuticprotocols. Through its pro-inflammatory action, MEL may play an adverse role inautoimmune diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis patients have increased nocturnalplasma levels of MEL and their synovial macrophages respond to MEL with anincreased production of IL-12 and nitric oxide (NO). In these patients,inhibition of MEL synthesis or use of MEL antagonists might have a therapeuticeffect. In other diseases such as multiple sclerosis the role of MEL iscontroversial. However, the correct therapeutic use of MEL or MEL antagonistsshould be based on a complete understanding of their mechanism of action. It isnot yet clear whether MEL acts only on Th1 cells or also on T-helper Type 2cells (Th2). This is an important point as the Th1/Th2 balance is of crucialimportance in the immune system homeostasis. Furthermore, MEL being theendocrine messenger of darkness, its endogenous synthesis depends on thephotoperiod and shows seasonal variations. Similarly, the pharmacologicaleffects of MEL might also be season-dependent. No information is availableconcerning this point. Therefore, studies are needed to investigate whether theimmunotherapeutic effect of MEL changes with the alternating seasons.

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